A few suggestions, primarily for the UI

[Marlowe]

I've played about 160 turns on the free tutorial map (I just bought the Elite version, but was surprised to see that it created a new app instead of merely upgrading the free version, so I have to finish the game without the Elite additions) and have a few suggestions, primarily for the UI. I should note that I am playing on a 8.4 inch tablet and that some of these suggestions might be problematic on a phone, but I assume they could be made optional. 

1. I'd like to see the number of turns to construct when selecting a new project or ship, or at least have the colony CP displayed on the project/ship selection screen. It's annoying to have to go back and forth between this screen and the main colony screen. (This also applies to some other menus, such as the new treaties screen, which doesn't display EP. These screens should follow the example of the new research selection screen, which correctly displays RP.) 

2. I'd really like to see summary on the colony list screen indicate what projects/ships are being built and how many turns to completion (or how many CP remain and how many CP the colony generates). I know that you can get a list of all current projects, but this is not that useful since it does not indicate which colony is building the project or how long it will take to complete (it does show the percentage of CP completed, but does not display how many CP per turn is being spent). 

3. The planet names really should be displayed on the screen. This would not only be very useful as to gameplay, but would add a touch of much needed character to the game. 

4. An option for multiple saves would be welcome. Aside from the annoyance of accidentally hitting the end turn button, I really like to try out different strategies in 4X games. This is especially true here since the unfortunate lack of documentation, and the vagueness of many descriptions, make trial and error a necessity. However  I don't think this option is available in other Trese games, so you guys  may be philosophically opposed to it. I hope you reconsider. 

5. Some menus require you to hit the back button numerous times. A home button taking you to the main view would be appreciated. 

[fallen]

Marlowe - welcome to the forum and thanks for the post! Sorry this response took so long!

1. Getting an "Estimated Turns to Completion" shown when constructing something new is on our list to add.
2. Also on the list! We also are working on getting the colony name into the list of all projects.
3. Thanks for the suggestion on improving the main map. Printing planet names would definitely help people locate their planets more easily and create good location-awareness.
5. A home button is a great idea! Could be nice and small and positioned next to back!

[fallen]

1. Fixed for next!

[Marlowe]

Thanks for your reply. Your personal attention to players and the frequent updates are great. I completed my first game on the free tutorial map and have just started a normal difficulty game on a large map in the Elite version and the game is really growing on me. One problem I have with the game is that it feels a bit cold and sometimes seems a bit like playing a  spreadsheet. This is not a criticism of you guys; I find this problem endemic to all space based 4X games, even absolute  classics like MOO and GalCiv II. I readily concede that this is a matter of personal taste, but I find a game like Civilization (which I consider not just the greatest 4X game but the greatest game of all time) to be much easier to relate to because of the more concrete nature of the map with rivers, mountains, varied terrain, and resources. Also, the techs are more familiar and easier to comprehend (at least until the end phase). I hope you don't mind if I make a few suggestions that I think would alleviate this somewhat. They may be a bit picky or quirky,  but I'd be interested to see what you and other players think about them. 

1. I think it's a mistake that most of the improvement upgrades are just numbered II, III, IV. This has a generic feel. I think it would add flavor to the game if they were named. For example, the various upgrades to the factory might be called Automated Factory, Robotic Factory, Nano Manufacturing Plant. Instead of calling all the happiness structures Spice Dens or Halls, the upgrades might be called Virtual Reality Networks or Mega Stadiums. No doubt you or others can come up with better names than these, but you get the idea. 

2. I'd like the ability to rename the colonies and even more so to name the ships, especially the larger ones later in the game . The latter would add a lot of character to the game and make it easier to keep track of them. I remember being able to name ships in Sins of a Solar Empire and I had a lot of fun with it. 

[fallen]

Marlowe - thanks for the suggestions! Names like Spice Den and Spice Hall come directly from the Star Traders RPG lore and won't be changing, but I see your point about expanding the name set. This cuts against simplicity however, and the number is very important to show the order of Improvements that you should use on your colony. Basically, its important that you can see Factory 1 & Factory 2. If you called them Automated Factory and Manufacturing Hive, you'd gain something (character) but lose the easy of play. We'll work on this one, probably starting with better descriptions for all the techs.

We are working on allowing colony rename and ship rename after a certain XP threshhold.

[mataeus]

First time I've read this thread.

I love the Empires in Exile, it's great to play, it's fun and tactical and it works well. I also understand and appreciate how it links in with the lore with 'Spice Halls' etc, but I do agree - some character is needed.

The two main points I like from the above are the ability to rename colonies, and to have the colony names displayed on the screen as a label by each system. This would make things feel more personal, and add that bit of character.

So great ideas, I think! So that's a plus one from me for what it's worth

I do like the inbuilt ship designer though.